Cole (elbow) is expected to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Cole will throw off a mound for the first time since being placed on the 60-day injured list with nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow in late March. The 33-year-old is reportedly targeting a return in "mid June," according to Heyman. The right-hander is eligible to be activated from the IL on May 27, but it appears as if he will remain sidelined for awhile longer than that. With his pedigree, it comes as no surprise that the Yankees are being cautious with their ace, who produced a 2.63 ERA with a 9.6 K/9 over 209 innings in 33 starts last year.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Without timeline for mound work
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cole had a "heavy day" of throwing off flat ground Tuesday, but the skipper is unsure when the right-hander will be ready to throw a bullpen session, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Cole has been playing catch multiple times per week for about two weeks while steadily increasing his throwing distance. He hasn't hit any reported snags in his recovery since resuming his throwing program, but it's not yet clear when Cole will be able to take the next meaningful step forward in his recovery from his right elbow injury by getting back on the mound. Boone also declined to speculate if a return before the All-Star break is realistic for Cole, who is eligible to be activated May 27 after opening the season on the 60-day injured list.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Continues throwing on flat ground
Rotowire
Cole (elbow) threw on flat ground again Saturday, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the session went "really well," Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Cole has been playing catch on flat ground for about three weeks, extending his throwing distance up to 120 feet. Boone indicated early last week that the ace hurler is getting close to throwing off a mound, and that could happen as soon as this week. If Cole continues to progress without setbacks, he could feasibly be ready to join the Yankees' rotation when he's eligible to come off the 60-day IL in late May.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Extends throwing to 120 feet
Rotowire
Cole (elbow) extended his flat-ground throwing to 120 feet Tuesday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
It's usually the farthest distance a pitcher plays catch from before progressing to mound work, but Cole said Tuesday that he's not sure when he will throw a bullpen session. He will have a day of rest in his throwing program Wednesday before the next step is revealed. Cole isn't eligible to return until late May. It is still up in the air as to when he'll ultimately be activated.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Could throw off mound next week
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Cole (elbow) could begin throwing off a mound sometime next week, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
Cole extended his flat-ground throwing to 120 feet Tuesday, which is typically the farthest distance from which a pitcher plays catch before he gets on a mound. While nothing definitive has been decided in regard to a bullpen session, it sounds like one could be coming within the next week or so. Cole is working his way back from nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow.
